The fire started late last night at Sims Metal Management at the foot of Linden Avenue in Jersey City. Google Maps

Large, orange flames and black, billowing smoke could be
seen from miles away last night after a multi-story pile of scrap metal caught
fire at a Jersey City recycling plant just before 11 p.m., Jersey City fire
spokesman Bob McHugh said.

The fire started at 10:54 p.m. at Sims Metal Management at
the foot of Linden Avenue in Jersey City last night. The fire was first
reported at 10:54 p.m. by the Coast Guard, who spotted the fire on their closed
circuit television cameras, McHugh said.

Firefighters arrived on scene at 11:02 p.m. and worked
through the morning to extinguish the large blaze, McHugh said.

To combat the fire, firefighters used Sims' heavy equipment
to reduce the size of the pile, breaking down the pile into smaller sections
and dousing the hot metal with water, McHugh said.

While the tall tower of smoke could be seen from miles
around, McHugh said that the smoke was being carried out into New York Harbor
and not into Jersey City or Manhattan.

McHugh said that currently the smoke is not creating an environmental
hazard, but said that multiple agencies from both New York and New Jersey are
monitoring the smoke and steam for any environmental changes.

When asked whether the smoke will affect The Barclays,
currently taking place at Liberty National Golf Course just north of the fire,
McHugh said that there was no smoke over the golf course.